How much coffee should we use for a really enjoyable cup?
We have purchased our favorite blend, we have properly set our mill, our favorite machine is crystal clear and ready for use! What can go wrong? If we do not correctly calculate how much coffee we need to use, we are far from the perfect cup of coffee.
Good, enjoyable coffee at home can be ... science. Other less and more, all brewing methods require precision and synchronization of many factors, so that the final result, our coffee, is really good. A home barista must, after choosing the right blend, have clean equipment, properly ground coffee and be sure of the temperature and time of extraction. Often, however, there is a lot of confusion about a factor that is very decisive for the taste of our coffee: the amount of coffee we need to use.
This confusion is due to many factors. On the one hand, it is important to know that each brewing method, as little as it may seem different from another, requires a different amount of coffee to yield the maximum. On the other hand, many directives tend to use unclear quantitative guidelines, such as "teaspoons", "tablespoons", etc., which may be confusing to coffee enthusiasts, especially those who start experimenting with new extraction methods. Finally, it is important to keep in mind that although there are basic rules, they naturally adapt to our tastes: some prefer strong coffees, some prefer a lighter coffee cup - the amount of coffee to be used depends of course on our personal taste.
We present precisely and clearly the ideal amount of coffee for four popular brewing methods - always on condition that the other factors, especially the time, temperature and grinding are correct. Although it may seem excessive, it is not a bad idea to provide a scale - so that you will be sure tou have made the necessary steps in the right way!
How much brown to use, depending on the extraction method I prefer?
In general, for coffees based on filter extraction, follow a basic rule, which stipulates that the coffee to water ratio should be 1:18 for an ordinary cup or 1:15 for those who prefer their coffee as strong as possible. Starting from this, you can of course experiment to arrive at the quantity and proportion that satisfies our own sensory sensory.
More specifically, and depending on the extraction method, we can use:
For French Press: For a 150ml coffee mug, 9 gr for a soft flavor and taste, 13.7 gr if we want our coffee strong.
For brewing using a Pour Over device: For a 150ml coffee cup, 8 gr for light coffee and about 10.5 gr if we prefer our coffee stronger
For cold brew: We estimate that for every 150ml Cold Brew, we need 18.5 gr for light coffee and about 30 gr for a really strong Cold Brew.
As we can see, as long as the three brewing methods follow the same basic principles above and below, it is the attention to detail that will give us a really enjoyable cup of coffee. Of course, the above quantities can be varied at will depending on the coffee we use. There are coffees with intense aromas, which we can enjoy better with fewer grams and, on the contrary, coffees less intense, needing a little bit of "stinging" to emerge in the best way. Particular mention is worth to Cold Brew, which is probably the most wasteful coffee, since the difference in temperature makes the cold extraction require almost twice the amount of coffee compared to conventional extractions.
If you do not have a weighing scale and you insist on measuring our coffee with a spoon, it is worth mentioning that one teaspoon is about 5 gr, and a tablespoon of about 13 gr. Of course this is not a rule, as the capacity of each spoon depends not only on its size but also on the degree of grinding of coffee.
How much coffee do you need for a really good espresso?
Although it is governed by rules that define the right amount of coffee, the right espresso is perhaps even more difficult to make. The rules dictate 7 gr of well-ground and well-tamped coffee for a single espresso and 14 gr to 15 grams for a double. Of course, the amount of water that will penetrate the coffee will play a key role in whether our coffee will be espresso, ristretto or lungo.
Due to the different character of each machine and due to the complexity of the brewing method, only a few grams can make the difference between a really good and a moderate espresso. Precision scales are essential for espresso enthusiasts, as well as experimentation - the right espresso is a tedious but totally rewarding process.
We are not just coffee lovers - we are alchemists, searching for the right coffee! Armed with our equipment, with patience and with magical, exotic blends, we always try to drink the coffee we deserve!
